Service of remembrance to allow the bereaved to pause and reflect

Eileen Green will give giving a reading at the service. Her son Richard was killed in Afghanistan in 2010

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Hundreds of bereaved people are expected to come together for a service of remembrance in Reading on Sunday, March 2.

Organised by funeral directors AB Walker & Son, the service is being held at Reading Minster, St Mary’s Butts, at 5pm.

Set up in 1826, AB Walker & Son has been supporting bereaved families in the area for nearly 200 years.

Managing director Julian Walker said: “We want to offer those who have lost a loved one the opportunity to be with others who have also suffered bereavement.

“It is a time for them to pause and reflect before the start of spring, the natural season of renewal.

“Last year the service was attended by around 500 people and it was so moving and so successful that we decided to make it an annual event.”

The service is being officiated by The Venerable Olivia Graham, Archdeacon of Berkshire.

Among those giving readings is Eileen Green from Tilehurst, whose son 23-year-old Corporal Richard Green was killed in Afghanistan on March 2, 2010.

Ms Green said: “The last four years have been hard, it doesn’t get easier. The service is on the anniversary of Richard’s death and in the same church where his funeral was held. It is going to be emotional. I feel that Richard will be with me. I am very proud of Richard and proud to remember him.”

There will also be a reading from Rebecca Dixon whose partner Captain Pete Barnes, from Mortimer, was killed last year when the helicopter he was flying hit a crane in Central London.

Those attending will be invited to light a candle in memory of their loved ones.

If you would like to attend, email vawn@abwalker.co.uk or call (0118) 983 9419.